Maritime Law — Protecting Your Interests Across the High Seas

A specialised practice for a global industry

Maritime law is a world of its own — international by nature, fast-moving, and unforgiving of delay. It governs the ships, cargo, contracts and insurance that keep global trade moving, and it operates at the intersection of UAE law and a web of international conventions. ABR Advocates & Legal Consultants advises the full range of maritime stakeholders — shipowners, charterers, cargo interests, insurers, builders and agents — on the legal questions that arise when a vessel, a voyage or a cargo is at stake. We pair genuine legal depth with a practical understanding of how shipping actually works, so that complex disputes are resolved efficiently and commercially. With the UAE positioned as one of the region’s principal maritime hubs, and its maritime law recently modernised, sound and current advice has never mattered more.

Our maritime law services

Much of our work concerns shipping and admiralty matters — the day-to-day legal life of a vessel, including charterparties, bills of lading, ship registration, collisions, salvage and the operation of ships in UAE waters. All of this now sits under the new UAE Maritime Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 43 of 2023), which came into force on 31 March 2024, replacing the 1981 Maritime Code and modernising vessel registration, arrest, and the limitation of liability in line with international practice. Closely related is our work on shipbuilding and repair contracts, where we draft and dispute the agreements governing the construction, conversion and repair of vessels — protecting owners and yards against delay, defect and payment risk.

A second strand of the practice is claims. In marine insurance claims we advise insurers and assureds on coverage, pursue and defend claims, and navigate the policy and causation questions at the heart of any marine loss. In cargo loss and damage claims we act for cargo interests and carriers in disputes over goods lost or damaged in transit, working within the international cargo regimes that bills of lading commonly incorporate — such as the Hague-Visby and Hamburg Rules — and the general-average principles of the York-Antwerp Rules.

The third strand is urgent and contentious. Vessel arrest and release is among the most time-critical work in shipping: under the new Maritime Law, a creditor with a recognised “maritime debt” can apply to arrest a vessel — and, importantly, the law now accepts P&I Club letters of undertaking and other security to lift an arrest, while requiring the arresting party to put up counter-security. We act urgently on both sides — securing a claim against a vessel, or freeing a detained ship. And in maritime arbitration, we resolve shipping disputes in the forum the industry prefers, distinct from court litigation in both procedure and culture. Each of these services addresses a different moment in a maritime matter, and we will tell you precisely which one your situation calls for.

Our maritime dispute resolution capability

Shipping disputes are most often resolved by arbitration, and we represent clients before the forums the industry uses — the LMAA and ICC internationally, and DIAC in the UAE, which now consolidates Dubai’s maritime arbitrations. We also appear in the maritime divisions of the UAE courts. Crucially, we are equipped for the urgent matters this sector throws up at short notice — precautionary vessel arrests, the release of detained ships, and injunctions to preserve assets or evidence — where acting within hours, not days, can decide the outcome.

Why choose us

We understand shipping, not just shipping law. Our advice is grounded in how vessels, voyages, cargo and charters actually operate commercially.

We act on urgent matters. Vessel arrests, releases and injunctions are time-critical, and we are set up to move quickly when a ship or cargo is at stake.

International reach. We handle cross-border maritime matters and coordinate with correspondents and counsel in other jurisdictions, including for vessels calling at UAE ports.

Current on the new law. We work daily with the modernised UAE Maritime Law and its updated arrest, registration and limitation regimes.